SOLD - American 1977 Fender Precision Bass £1575

[nickcarey]

SOLD

Sorry sale only - no trades

1977 American Fender Precision Bass. Condition is Used. Collection in person only.   This is an opportunity to own a fantastic American 1977 Precision Bass with its body refinished and in its original case.   The bass has been restored with three genuine Fender parts made in the USA including the bridge, chrome bridge cover and the vintage style strap buttons to match what would have been fitted on the bass originally.   CONDITION Overall, the bass is in excellent condition for its age. There are just three small dings and only two of which are visible on the back of the body. The first is next to the Fender neck plate and the second is close to curved forearm area in the body. The third is just below the truss rod which is hidden by the pick guard.   BODY The body resonates really nicely with loads of sustain. The bass also benefits from an unusual iridescent blue refinish – this gives the bass a unique look. The respray has been very professionally applied (probably not long after it was originally made) as you can see from the photographs. The colour is somewhere between Candy Apple Blue and Lake Placid Blue. It looks like this bass had a natural finish so we think it has a Northern Hard Ash body. Fender confirmed that the routing matches the basses from the 1976-79 period.    NECK The serial number on the neck (S750640) dates it to 1977/78. The body and neck have a snug fit without any signs of anything being altered. Initially the frets were worn so it has been professionally re-fretted with premium jumbo frets fitted by a professional luthier. The truss can be moved freely both ways. This bass plays very easily due to the recent professional setup and the re-fret by a luthier. The neck has a smaller 7.25” radius than the modern American P basses which gives it a true vintage feel.   CASE This bass comes with its original 1970s Fender case and all its latches work. A new handle that has been recently fitted. Some cracks on the corners of the case has been repaired as part of the restoration.   OTHER PARTS The bass comes with its original white pickguard. A new treated Fender polish cloth is included along with a 2mm screw driver for adjusting the bridge saddles.   OTHER TECHNICAL INFO Bass Weight: 4.5 Kgs (10lbs) The bass is slightly heavier than today’s American series ones however because it balances so well this is not noticeable when you start to play. The payoff is in the tone and the sustain. The bass has Allparts CTS Vintage Style Split Shaft pots fitted rated at 250k.  The bass has also had it's wiring upgraded with vintage style cloth wiring (gauge 22).  Nut Width: 42mm

LOCATION

I’m based in Lancashire. Any questions about the bass are welcome. Plus, I’m more than happy to arrange times for folks to try the bass out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 29, 2019 by nickcarey
Text updates

[AndyTravis]

Good lord that’s wonderful.

if it’s any help, my 77 had those routes at the neck end and under the bridge.

[SurroundedByManatees]

What a great color... Looks really nice. 

[fearthebassplayer]

Wish I had the cash......Th is is my birth year and the last bass I need to have 

[nickcarey]

Thanks for all the compliments 🙂

[sblueplanet]

Is that a replacement pickguard? I thought there would have been holes for a thumbrest in front of the pickup near the E string on 70’s P basses?

[nickcarey]

To my knowledge it's the original Fender pickguard. There are other 1977 P Basses out there with a white pickguard that also have no thumb rest (see pic below).  The ones with the black scratchplates seem to have them pretty consistently fitted. More than likely this bass had a natural body finish like the one prior to its refinish.

Thankfully the pickguard on the bass hasn't cracked near the jack socket like some do from this era.

 

Edited January 19, 2019 by nickcarey
Text update

[martthebass]

Very noice - wish my shoulder could still handle 10lbs!

[nickcarey]

Lol - it sounds a lot but with a 3" strap it's fine. A friend who is a P Bass purist tried it and said it felt like his 60s one and it balances well.

Edited November 4, 2018 by nickcarey
Text Update

[nickcarey]

New pics added

Edited January 26, 2019 by nickcarey
Text update

[Belka]

The white pickguard definitely looks original. By the late '70s the only basses that you really saw with white pickguards were in natural, so I'd guess this bass was that originally. 

[nickcarey]

9 hours ago, Belka said:

The white pickguard definitely looks original. By the late '70s the only basses that you really saw with white pickguards were in natural, so I'd guess this bass was that originally. 

Thanks for that - that's useful to know. 😊

I suspected it might have originally been a natural finish from looking at the bridge cover screws holes where you can faintly see the original finish.

[nickcarey]

The bass has also now had it's wiring upgraded with vintage style cloth wiring (gauge 22).

 

Edited January 26, 2019 by nickcarey
Text update

[nickcarey]

A corner on the bottom of the case has been now repaired with some solid black filler for better protection. Previously the gap was only covered with some gaffer tape.

See pics above.

Edited November 12, 2018 by nickcarey
Text update

[nickcarey]

Price drop - Now £1400

[loweringthetone]

Beautiful colour, I might say.  Candy apple blue ?

GLWTS

[nickcarey]

6 hours ago, loweringthetone said:

Beautiful colour, I might say.  Candy apple blue ?

GLWTS

Thanks very much. Good point, it could be classed as being similar to Candy Apple blue.

My guess is 'a darker take on Lake Placid Blue' 😄

Has anyone else got any suggestions what finish it could be similar to?

[nickcarey]

The price of the bass has been lowered again. If anyone wants to try the bass out just let me know.  

[Belka]

That's a great price for this bass - if I didn't have so many expenses at the moment I'd seriously consider it. If it's still around in Spring....

[nickcarey]

Thanks - it's as low as I'm prepared to go. If it doesn't find a new owner I will hang onto it.

Cheers

[nickcarey]

Two audio recordings have now been attached at the bottom of the original post. Hopefully this will give you a better idea of how this bass sounds compared to a modern precision bass.

The 'Modern' one is a 2016 Standard Fender Precision with an alder body and rosewood fingerboard.  

The 'Vintage' one is the bass in this post. Both basses have the same nickel strings fitted and were recorded via DI with the same settings for consistency.

If you have any questions feel free to ask.

[Tullfan]

I couldn’t get either to work!

Could be me! 🤷‍♂️

[Chris Tommo]

Hi, Is this still available?

 

[nickcarey]

On 25/12/2018 at 00:56, Tullfan said:

I couldn’t get either to work!

Could be me! 🤷‍♂️

You should get a prompt to download each file. If it doesn't play automatically you can go to your downloads folder and open the files from there. 

Hope that helps.

[nickcarey]

7 hours ago, Chris Tommo said:

Hi, Is this still available?

 

Yes, the bass is still available.